The screenwriter, who was born Richard Sharples, passed away on 19 October (15). No more details about his death were known as WENN went to press.

He was behind a number of British shows including sitcom In Loving Memory, which ran for five seasons from 1969 until 1986 and starred acting veteran Thora Hird.

Sharples re-teamed with Hird on another show Hallelujah!, which aired in the early 1980s, and his other credits include a four-year stint as a scriptwriter on U.K. drama General Hospital, and work on The Saint, Doctor Finlay's Casebook, and Z-Cars.

Throughout his career, he also penned a number of novels and co-wrote 1962 comedy film The Golden Rabbit.